


Kriegsspiel -- Hoodman's Blind

by MelayneSeahawk



Series: Kriegsspiel [2]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-14
Updated: 2010-07-14
Packaged: 2017-10-10 14:02:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/100565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelayneSeahawk/pseuds/MelayneSeahawk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Atlantis landed, the world was thrown into chaos. Newly-elected American President Michael Taylor shut down the Stargate Program in the hope of appeasing the international community. But something is wrong, and soon the remaining members of the SGC are forced to flee through the 'gate before more of their numbers disappear. Cut off from allies and resources, the survivors turn to galactic piracy to survive--and to arm themselves for a return to Earth, unsure what they will find. Who was really behind the dismantling of the SGC? Is there something more sinister on the horizon? Can SG-1 get to the bottom of the conspiracy and save the world one more time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to indywind and llian for cheerleading, and to theemdash and secondalto for beta services. Thanks also to mckays_lab, allandaros, and H for help with the hard sci fi terminology, technology, and tactics; to zats_clear for advice on the Cam voice; to princessofg for pacing assistance; and to theemdash and muck_a_luck for assorted help and listening to me spaz. Thanks also go to my father, who helped me arrange my thoughts on the main plot of this story. This would never have been finished without you all!
> 
> This fic was written under the influence of Talking Heads, Bruce Springsteen, and the _Firefly_ soundtrack. Take that how you will.

With seven full teams and an assortment of scientists working on unpacking the waiting supplies, it didn't take long to set up a prefab shack that could be used as a meeting room. Cam was helping set up another prefab when General O'Neill tapped him on the shoulder.

"Team leader meeting in five," he said. "Spread the word. And let people know that Landry died to get us out. People might want to know."

Cam nodded. He couldn't think about how that made him feel quite yet. There'd be time to mourn later. When he'd found out about the supplies O'Neill and Reynolds had secretly distributed on this and other planets, he'd hoped they'd never need to use them, but the SGC had never been that lucky.

Five minutes later they were gathered in the prefab: O'Neill, SG-1, Paul Davis, and the rest of the team leaders, sitting on crates of building supplies and dehydrated food. The sounds of prefab structures being assembled and people calling back and forth were audible through the opening of the doorway. "General Landry was probably able to clear the log before he was shot," O'Neill said. "He bought us some time, nothing more."

"We need to do something about the 'gate," Reynolds said. "This address may not be in the computers, but there's still a chance they could find us, and a guard around the 'gate won't be enough to keep them out for long."

"We don't have the tech right now to build another iris," Sam added. "Though we could probably set up a system to accept IDCs, for what it's worth. And once the _Odyssey_ gets here, we'll have the ship and more tech available."

"We're going to need their medical bay," Dr. Lam added. "We only have limited medical supplies."

"Once the _Odyssey_ gets here, she's grounded," Cam pointed out. "She's too distinctive." The thought almost made Cam sad; if O'Neill hadn't let him serve on SG-1, Cam would have asked for a place on the _Odyssey_. "If Taylor has got any offworld connections, they'll spot her the moment she's in orbit, and right now, we're blind."

"That gives us a definite maybe on being able to jerry-rig an iris of some type," O'Neill said. "But we're still dependent on the 'gates, and that makes me really uncomfortable."

"We should just bury the 'gate until we've got security measures in place," Jackson said. "The ultimate way to separate ourselves." O'Neill nodded, but he didn't look happy with that idea, either.

"We could contact the Free Jaffa about some ships," Sam suggested. "I'm sure they've got at least a few to spare, and we already know that Goa'uld tech has been in pretty wide use since the fall of the System Lords."

"I do not believe that will be possible, ColonelCarter," Teal'c said. "If your PresidentTaylor or the NID were to search for us, it is highly likely that he will go to the Free Jaffa first. It pains me, but not all of my so-called comrades can be trusted."

"If we bury the 'gate, you'll be stuck here, Teal'c," Jackson pointed out. "Just like you were on Earth."

"In this time of need, I believe my place is here," Teal'c said, and it was clear he'd made this decision some time ago. "The Tau'ri helped my people when we could not help ourselves; I believe it is time to return the favor."

"We're glad to have you, T," O'Neill said, clapping a hand on Teal'c's shoulder.

"Now that we're done with all that male bonding and noble sentiment," Vala said from the far end of the ragged oval of boxes and people, "may I add that I know a number of shipyards that would be more than happy to sell you a few ships on the cheap? Little cargo vessels, probably, but I'm sure Sam could rig up something a little more comfortable once we've got them."

"Sounds like a plan," O'Neill said. Sam looked positively gleeful. "Vala, Daniel, start gathering whatever you can find to barter. You're going shopping."

*

It was amazing what a group of people could do when properly motivated. Add the fact that it was a group of very organized and highly intelligent people, and they could conquer worlds.

The planet's sun was setting on the SGC's first day in exile, and Jack was walking through a veritable town. There were already a dozen buildings, constructed of both prefab materials and some local resources. Roofing sheet metal had been replaced by the palm-like leaves from one of the trees, cut into strips and woven. The building they'd first used as a meeting room had been expanded slightly and filled with the empty crates and scraps; it could now be used to house most of the relocated personnel for a meal. A couple small structures had been constructed to house their supplies and equipment, and the rest of the building materiel had been made into temporary living quarters. They'd fit a very friendly four for now, and once the _Odyssey_ landed they could expand the whole complex. Jack had caught Daniel lecturing a forgiving Teal'c on the phenomenon of settlement building in tribal groups, and Jack knew he owed the patient man a big favor.

The commander in Jack noticed the smooth way his people were working together, military and civilian, soldier and scientist. Part of him still wondered if they'd done the right thing, but he was mostly concerned with whether they should have done it _sooner_. He hoped that, somewhere, Hammond was proud of them. He was also glad the man hadn't lived to see the SGC run from a fight.

Even though they planned to return, it was still a retreat. They'd been forced to leave so many of their people behind. It made Jack angry, and more than a little afraid.

"It's going to be alright," Daniel said from behind him, and it took all of Jack's control not to jump. How had he been able to sneak up on him? Daniel gestured back toward the buildings. "They're shell-shocked, but they'll be alright."

"I'm not worried about them," Jack said. He wanted to wrap Daniel up in his arms, prove to himself that at least that one part of his world was intact, but they were standing on a hill overlooking the settlement; anyone could see them. "I'm worried about their families. About the teams that were transferred and _their_ families. About your scientists in Japan, and Carter's in Nevada and Siberia and the Ancient base. What's going to happen to them because of this?"

"We'll be back for them," Daniel said. "They know the risks. All of them do. And they trust you to seem them through this."

"_I_ don't trust me," Jack said. He turned to look at Daniel. "I can run a team of four, Daniel. I can't run a rebellion."

"Then Sam and Teal'c and I will help," Daniel said. "You'll just be our figurehead." He smiled when Jack laughed. "It'll turn out right in the end. It has to."

"Oh?" Jack asked. "And why is that?"

Daniel's smile was a little sad. "Because we're the good guys."


	2. Chapter 2

The 'gate was in an enclosed stone room, and it felt to Daniel like a door had slammed behind them when the 'gate disengaged. "You know, they're burying the 'gate as we speak," he said.

"I know," Vala said, turning on her flashlight and grinning at Daniel. "We're on our own. Exciting, isn't it?"

"Not my idea of excitement," Sam said, clicking on her own flashlight. Daniel rolled his eyes and did the same. "Why are we here again?"

"I…left some things here, the last time I was…suddenly in need of a rapid exit," Vala said, going over to one of the walls and examining it. "Between the spare supplies from your stuff and what I've got stashed away, we should be able to build you a small fleet."

"We won't need a small fleet," Sam said.

"Ah, here we are," Vala said, and a door slid open. She turned to look at Sam. "But wouldn't a fleet be _fun_?"

Sam ignored her and stepped forward, shining her light into the revealed corridor. "Where are we?"

"Under an abandoned city," Vala said. "Destroyed when the inhabitants refused to worship Qetesh. Before my time," she said before Daniel could express his outrage. "I just knew about it because _she_ knew about it. After she was…removed, I knew no one else alive would know about it, so I used it. Everything should still be here." She pushed past Sam and stepped forward, immediately turning a corner. Daniel hurried forward before they lost her light.

"What's here, then?" Sam asked, on Daniel's heels. "Gold? Naquada? Weapons?"

"Yes," Vala said, and Daniel could see her grin in the light. "Some food, too, preserved stuff. We'll take just enough to make sure we can buy a ship and then we can come back for the rest later. Consider it my contribution to your most noble cause."

The corridor opened into another room, this one filled with neat stacks of boxes and jars of various sizes and shapes. Slightly more organized than your average treasure trove, Daniel noticed. Vala went over to a pile of boxes and started to move them. "Daniel, I need this one at the bottom. Sam, go take a look and make sure the rings still work. They should."

Sam went over to the panel on the wall, and soon she had the lights on. Daniel turned off his flashlight and tucked it back into his pack before helping Vala move boxes. Finally, they had the one she wanted, and she dumped it in Daniel's arms. "What's in here?" he asked.

"Something that will buy us a cargo ship," Vala said. "It won't be the nicest one in the place, but it'll be enough to afford something that'll fly. Sam, rings?"

"Perfect working order."

"Then let's get going." Vala grinned. "I know the perfect place."

*

"Vala Mal Doran, you fickle, ungrateful wench," Germanicus said when she walked into the shop. "How are you?"

"Germanicus, you lying, thieving bastard, I see you still haven't learned to wash." Vala was almost surprised at how easy it was to slip back into the old rhythms of the person she used to be. She glanced at Daniel and Sam, who were doing rather poor impressions of brigands. She should have brought Muscles; at least he was big and scary enough to intimidate people.

Germanicus guffawed, broad shoulders bouncing. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Vala forced her grin to remain in place. "What can I do for you? And who are your friends?"

"They're new," Vala said. "From a little backwater planet, I'm sure you've never heard of it. But they wanted to get started in the business, and I told them I'd give them a hand, in exchange for a cut of the profits. And," she added, "I promised they wouldn't get cheated too badly."

Germanicus laughed again. "You know I don't cheat friends," he said.

"I know nothing of the sort. You," Vala said, turning to Sam, "pick out a ship." Sam nodded and set off into the hanger.

"Ah-ah-ah," Germanicus said, waggling one finger. "Payment first. Coin or barter, your preference."

Vala nodded to Daniel, who brought forward the metal box and opened it on top of a grungy workbench. "I know your ships are junkers, but we'll make do. She'll pick us out something and you can have these." Vala smiled as Germanicus lifted one of the devices inside the box. "Zat guns, four of them, fully functional." Germanicus primed the weapon and smiled. "Not much use for a simple mechanic, I know, but quite valuable on the open market. And I'll give you the box, which would be very useful for securing items for transport."

Germanicus put the zat back down and closed the box. "I don't know, Vala, times are tough," he said. "But that helper of yours would be _very_ valuable in certain circles." He looked Daniel up and down with what could only be described as a leer. "Keep your zats. Give me him and you can have the best ship in my shop."

Vala glanced at Daniel, and she knew she was going to have quite a laugh at his expense later. "You know I find flesh trading…distasteful," she said, after letting Daniel seethe for a moment; she was amazed he was actually following her recommendation to let her do the talking. She pretended to think for a minute and then took the sparkly clip from her hair, every movement aimed at making Germanicus believe it would be hard to part with. "Fine, since we are such good friends," she said, placing the clip on top of the box. "An ornament made of rare gems from a far-away planet. My final offer."

Germanicus tapped his chin, and Vala held her breath.

"Deal," he said, holding out his hand for Vala to shake. She took it, ignoring the grime and engine grease, and shook it firmly. As she pulled back, Sam appeared from between the ships.

"Find something you like?" she asked. Sam nodded.

"The cargo ship with the red door," Sam said. Vala looked to Germanicus, and he nodded. "It'll need some work when we get home, but it'll fly."

"Since we're such good friends," Germanicus said, and Vala glanced quickly at him. "I'll throw in an extra set of engine crystals for your pretty friend." Sam bared her teeth at him but didn't argue.

Five minutes later, they were settled at the controls of their new ship, a sack containing the replacement crystals sitting in Sam's lap. "That clip was plastic," Daniel said as Vala adjusted the proper controls and the ship rose through the hangar's retractable roof.

"Yes," Vala said with an easy, feral smile. "But he didn't know that."


	3. Chapter 3

"Assuming everything went well, the _Odyssey_ should be within communication range in a few minutes," Carter said, looking at her watch. The ship had set out at roughly the same time they had, with a trusted skeleton crew. "What do we want to do with it when it gets here, besides land it?"

"We could move everyone into the living quarters on the ship," Daniel said. "Treat it like a large building. Then we'd only need the sheds we've already build for storage, and to house the new ships."

"The silhouette from the air would be too distinctive," Mitchell said.

"We could bury it?" Vala suggested, but Jack shook his head.

"I've spent enough of my life in underground bunkers," he said, and he could see Carter and Mitchell nodding emphatically in the corner of his eye. "I'm enjoying the sunlight. Besides, we couldn't put the other ships underground—not with the limited technology we have—so we might as well let ourselves look like a village from the air. We can strip the _Odyssey_ down and use the component parts and the equipment to shore up the buildings we've got and upgrade the ships." Mitchell winced at this.

"We can bury her in the lake," Daniel said, and Jack knew he wasn't the only one who was looking at him like he was insane. "No, hear me out. If we're worried about the ship being distinctive, just landing her on the ground won't be enough to hide her. We don't have the equipment to really take her apart, and anyway we'll need at least one ship her size when we go back to Earth. So, we have to leave her in one piece. She's airtight enough to travel in space, certainly that means she'd be waterproof. Right?" he asked, turning to Carter. She nodded, but was obviously swallowing her explanation of the _completely opposite_ pressure differentials affecting submarine versus extra-atmospheric craft. Jack recognized the look from all the times he'd seen it directed at his blithe trampling over a truly important scientific point that didn't happen to affect the plan at hand. "The lake we've been fishing in is only a few miles away, and the fact that it's in a basin means that we can sink the _Odyssey_—for now—without flooding the surrounding land. The water's deep enough that it should provide pretty good cover, and when we need a larger battleship, we've already got one."

There was a moment of silence, and then Jack laughed. "Y'see? This is why we keep you around, Daniel."

"Once she's here," Carter picked up, "we can take out all the removable equipment—medical, some of the computers, that kind of thing—and then we can sink her. I can use some of the equipment to rig up a power source. We probably won't be able to use too many things at once, but it'll be better than nothing."

"Carter, have some of your engineers work on that," Jack said. "And grab anyone else who's free to help carry things."

"It'll spread us kind of thin with the ships," she said. "Some of that equipment is a little too complicated to just unplug."

"I have every confidence you'll have us in the air soon," Jack said, smiling at her. She beamed at him.

"Sir," Carter said after a moment, with that tone of voice that said she was about to say something she thought he wasn't going to like. "Up until now, the plan has been to wait for the _Odyssey_. What—what do we do next?"

Jack considered making a quip, but that play-it-dumb persona of his died with Hank Landry and Tom James and Nyan and everyone else who had disappeared and was probably dead by now, if not worse. "Well, the food's going to run out eventually, even with the stuff that's going to be on the _Odyssey_," he said instead. "We're either going to have to start trading with other communities for food, or growing our own."

"It's better to be self-sufficient," Daniel said, exactly as Jack expected he would. "But unless we intend to be here for a long time, we're not going to be able to grow our own food." He frowned at Jack's incredulous look. "You don't just put seeds in the ground and then magically have food. Growing a crop large enough to feed all of us will take time. We'd be much better off trading labor for food and clothes and things. We can supplement that with native edible plants, and maybe animals like chickens, but there's no point in becoming a farming community unless we plan to stay here for good."

Jack rubbed a hand across his forehead; he hadn't even thought of that. "Unfortunately, we need to be able to survive before we can worry about Earth."

Suddenly, Carter's walkie-talkie crackled. "This is Mama Bird, calling Baby AWOL," Frank Davidson's voice came through. "Come in, AWOL."

Jack held out his hand for the walkie-talkie. "Who the hell came up with those callsigns?" he asked.

Davidson laughed. "Colonel Frank Davidson and the crew of the _Odyssey_ reporting for duty, sir. We've just dropped out of hyperspace and are approaching your position."

"Good," Jack said. He gestured to Carter and Mitchell, who took off toward the field that had been cleared for the _Odyssey_ to land. "You'll see a large flat space about a mile away from the settlement. We saved you a spot," he said, smiling slightly.

"Thank you, sir," Davidson said. "I'm glad you guys made it out alright."

"So're we, believe me," Jack said. "No trouble getting away?"

"They didn't even realize we were gone until we were lightyears away," Davidson said, clearly proud of his ship. "We disconnected anything that might have been used to track us, so we shouldn't have a tail."

"Good," Jack said. "We'll set your crew up with quarters once you land."

*

Daniel put down the electronic pad he'd been using to read and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to reading on a screen instead of on a page. The _Odyssey_ had brought a few more creature comforts with it when it landed, namely a large digital archive of books, movies, and music. They'd already set up a system to rotate the few dozen electronic pads and music players, and it was Daniel's turn, so he was rediscovering the joys of escaping into a novel. It wasn't something he'd ever spent much time doing before.

He was sitting on his cot in the slightly larger structure that SG-1 had claimed. Most of the teams had decided to stick together for the time being, and SG-1 was no exception. The space was a little cramped for six adults, but aside from Vala's habit of jumping into other people's cots, they were getting along just fine.

Vala and Mitchell were still in the mess hall, and Sam at the shipyard (she _still_ had to be physically dragged away from her work most of the time), but Jack was lying in his own cot, baseball cap over his eyes, probably replaying old hockey games in his head. Teal'c was likely off communing with the treeline; even though he needed to sleep now, Daniel thought he found comfort in the familiarity of kel'no'reem.

"Look what I found in the engine," Mitchell said, pushing through the pieces of fabric that served as a door, pulling Sam along behind him. Vala had Sam's other arm, and was grinning. Teal'c was a few steps behind them, and Daniel would have sworn that his expression was that of an indulgent parent.

"A little dinged up, some greasy spots. Nothing we can't fix," Jack said, sitting up. "Did you feed her?"

"I can feed myself, sir," Sam said, shaking off Mitchell and Vala's hands.

"Nix the 'sir,' Carter," Jack said. "We're not exactly military anymore."

"Nix the 'Carter', sir," Sam said, grinning.

"Sam."

"Jack."

"Rocky," Teal'c said, and who knew he was a _Rocky Horror Picture Show_ fan?

"Bullwinkle," Daniel added helpfully, and Jack laughed.

"I think that makes Mal Doran Natasha," Jack said. "Vala, sorry. This is going to take some getting used to." Vala waved a dismissive hand at him. "Still, I think we should set an example for everyone else. I'm perfectly fine throwing most of the chain of command out the window."

There were nods around the room, and Daniel, who had never really followed the chain of command anyway, chuckled. Mitchell reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. "So, poker?"

*

Sam was up to her elbows in the propulsion system of their newest acquisition. It wasn't a model anyone had recognized, but it was clearly inspired by Goa'uld technology. The design was sleeker—and there was a distinct lack of gold detailing—but the crystal control systems were pretty much the same. It would fit a crew of five or six, smaller than an al'kesh bomber but larger than a tel'tak cargo ship, and had a hold large enough to contain Sam's old lab.

It would be perfect for the kind of work they'd be doing.

"Hey, Sam," Cam said from behind her, and she turned to smile at him, swiping a hand across her sweaty forehead. Refitting starships wasn't as fun as working on her motorcycle, but it was certainly less messy.

"How're you doing?" she said, shifting her grip and loosening the panel covering another bank of crystals. One of them was burned out, but she couldn't tell which one until she opened it up and looked inside. "I thought you were on the hunting party today."

"We got back early," Cam said, leaning against a bulkhead and tucking his hands into his pockets. "We caught a few of those big deer-like things; we should be set for a few days."

"So what are you doing down by the ships?" she asked. Their little armada, mostly Goa'uld cargo ships, was up to half a dozen ships now—not including the _Odyssey_, which had already been stripped down to the deck plating and was keeping the fish company a few feet from the bottom of the lake. Between the military and civilian scientists, there were more than enough engineers to go around, and Cam wasn't one of them.

"General—Jack," Cam amended ruefully. "He wanted me to come down and take a look at this ship. She's gonna be my baby, once she's up to your specs," he added.

"Congratulations, Cam," Sam said, grinning. "Picked your crew yet?"

"I'm still asking around. People're still pretty much sticking to their old teams, I don't want to split anyone up."

Sam nodded and pressed the button that would open the crystal tray. "Ah, there it is," she said, plucking the burnt crystal out of its slot. "Could you hand me that blue crystal? The long one with the flat end."

Cam shuffled through the pile of crystals and handed her the right one. "It's kind of weird, flying again," he said.

"Well, this'll be nothing like the Snakeskinners," Sam said, sliding the crystal into place and grinning when the whole tray lit up. She pushed the button again and the tray slid back into place. "You're going to be an interstellar moving van."

Cam laughed out loud at that one, and Sam was glad. They were getting by, but people didn't seem to be happy. "Safer than fighter planes," he said. "I don't mind it, really. After all the excitement of those last few weeks on Earth, and then all the work we've put into building this place, I'm looking forward to something easy."

Sam screwed the last panel back into place and sat back on her heels. "Don't say that. The universe has a way of proving people wrong."


	4. Chapter 4

Cam sat back down in the captain's chair with a slight smile. Captain of his own ship, not just for a few hours or days during a crisis, but for as long as the SGC refugees (and he was going to have to remember to suggest they come up with a better name at the next meeting) would be offworld. O'Neill hadn't let him call the ship _Enterprise_, so he'd settled on _Hope_; he could tell Jackson approved. Cam Mitchell, Commander of the _Hope_, it had a nice ring to it.

"Sir, we're approaching the planet," Bosworth said from the helm station. Cam had decided to take SG-13 as his crew, with one of Sam's scientists—Martin Gates—as his mechanic. Everyone seemed to be getting along so far, which Cam counted as a good sign. "We'll be able to begin our descent to the surface in a few minutes."

"We're being…contacted," Balinsky said from his place at communications. "There's another ship in orbit."

"Goa'uld, but small," Dixon elaborated. He was at the weapons station. "It's probably comparable to us in technical capabilities. Well, minus the tricks Carter gave us."

"But there's no way of knowing who's inside," Balinsky said.

Cam nodded. "You said they're trying to contact us?" he said. "Put it on the screen."

An unfamiliar figure appeared on the screen, but his Lucian Alliance uniform was enough. "I am A'dil of the Lucian Alliance," he said. "This planet is under our…protection. Explain your presence here."

"Oh, hey there," Cam said, forcing a smile. He focused on keeping up the appearance of being calm and non-threatening, but his hands tightened on the arms of his chair. "We got hired to transport this settlement's grain harvest to the marketplace on Correllia. Hope that's not a problem."

"This settlement has not paid their most recent protection fee," A'dil said. "Therefore, they're not allowed contact with outsiders. For their own protection," he added, with a smile a shark would be proud of.

"Don't know nothing about that," Cam said. "But I do know we were paid—in advance. Just good business to oblige them by finishin' our contract." He glanced at Balinsky, and he cut the connection. "Options?"

"We could leave," Wells said from the navigation station at the rear of the bridge. Gates, next to him, was silent, and Cam was reminded that the man hadn't had much offworld experience before the program had been shut down.

"Won't be the last time we bump into these folks, and if we back down now, don't see it gettin' any easier with them," Cam replied.

"And we actually did accept a deposit," Bosworth added. "It won't be good for our reputation as cargo haulers if we back out of a deal."

Cam glanced at Dixon. "Can you tell if their shields are up?" he asked.

"They don't seem to be," Dixon said. "But the longer we wait, the more likely it is that they'll decide we're hostile."

Cam sighed. Their first trip out, and already he was going to have to risk blowing holes in his ship. Sam was going to kill him. "Can you fire and then bring up our shields?" he asked. "We don't want to tip them off."

"Carter installed something that should hide the energy buildup before the weapons fire," Dixon said. "She told me she was getting bored," he added with a grin. "Anyway, it should give us the advantage on the first shot. Then we can put up the shields and hope we haven't misjudged their armament."

Cam looked around at his crew. Some of them didn't look happy, but they were all waiting for his order. "Okay. Fire when ready."

Dixon nodded and spun back to face his consol. "Target locked on the enemy weapon system," he said. "Firing."

A beam of light hit the Lucian Alliance ship, and there was a small explosion. "Bring up the shields!" Cam said.

"They still have firing capability," Dixon said, just before they rocked sideways. _No kidding_, Cam thought.

"Shields came up in time," Gates called from the engineer's panel. "We didn't take any damage, just bounced."

"Good," Cam said. "Bosworth, evasive maneuvers. Dixon, keep firing. Take out their weapons; that should convince them to withdraw."

Cam ignored the chorus of 'aye, sir's and focused on the viewscreen. He hadn't realized that being the captain of a ship could feel so helpless. Even with all his experience in command, a part of him wanted to be the one flying the ship or firing the guns. Not that he didn't trust his men; he just wanted to be doing _something_. It wasn't a good feeling.

They traded a few more volleys, energy blasts sizzling off into the void, and then there was a large flash of light on the other ship and they stopped firing. "That's their weapons," Dixon said, grinning.

"Communication coming in, from the other ship," Balinsky said.

Cam took a deep breath. "Put it on." He forced himself to relax as the other captain's image appeared on the screen. "Well, A'dil, it seems like you're having difficulty with your weapons," he said, with what he hoped was a concerned look. "Anything we can do to help?"

"This will not be our last encounter," A'dil growled. "You have been warned." He gestured and the communication cut out.

"They're withdrawing," Wells said.

"Good job, everyone," Cam said.

"There's another communication coming in," Balinsky said. "From the planet. It's audio only."

Cam nodded and the bridge was filled with static for a moment. "Hello?"

"Captain Mitchell, I hope?" a voice said, as the static cleared up.

"Yes, sir," Cam said. "May I ask who I'm speaking to?"

"Elder Huare," the man said. "We were able to monitor your conflict with the Lucian Alliance ship. You have made friends today, Captain Mitchell."

"And enemies," Cam said after the connection cut. "I think we just made policy regarding the Lucian Alliance. Ah, hell, I'm pretty damn sure O'Neill is going to tan my hide but good."


	5. Chapter 5

"You did _what_?!" Jack said, and he was glad to see that Mitchell cringed ever so slightly before straightening his shoulders and lifting his chin. Jack, SG-1, and the captain and crew of the _Hope_ were sitting in the mess hall/meeting room, discussing the _Hope_'s first mission. "I sent you out there to move a pile of grain a few lightyears, not blow up other ships." Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Daniel reach out a hand but stop short of touching him. Good, he should know better.

"It was pretty much unavoidable, sir," Mitchell said, and from the looks on their faces, Dixon and the rest seemed to agree. "The reason they needed us in the first place was because they hadn't paid their 'protection fees'. The Lucian Alliance doesn't tend to negotiate, and we had a contract to complete."

"And they gave us a really nice tip," Dixon added.

Jack couldn't help a small smile. "I appreciate your diligence." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. "Well, crap. I'd been hoping to stay off the Lucian Alliance's radar. I'm sure some of them recognize us—especially SG-1—and I don't want them selling information to whoever Taylor sends after us."

"A'dil—the guy we saw—didn't seem to recognize us," Mitchell said. "And in the future, we can use audio-only communication when dealing with other ships."

"That's a good idea," Carter said. "We can rig up a device that would make it look like the video capabilities are damaged, so people are more likely to believe the explanation."

Jack nodded. "Still, you've put us in an uncomfortable position," he said. "We got that first job through Vala's word-of-mouth. While I'm sure having a reputation for not being intimidated by the Lucian Alliance could be very valuable, do we really want to put ourselves in that situation on a regular basis?"

"The Lucian Alliance is basically a galactic mafia," Daniel said softly. Jack was a little surprised he hadn't spoken up already. "They stepped into the—the power vacuum left by the destruction of the System Lords, which was our doing. In a way, they're our fault." No one had a good reply to that. "Would it be so bad if we were a thorn in their side while we work on our own reserves? It's not like those are, uh…contradictory goals, right?"

Jack shrugged. "Options."

"Mitchell did us a favor. It's practically naquada in our pockets to have the kind of reputation he just earned," Vala said, popping her gum. Jack had no idea how the woman was still able to get her hands on chewing gum, but he wasn't going to ask. "We'll easily capture the interest of people they've antagonized or punished. And that's just if you stick to legal transport. If you want to get into black market dealings…."

"No," Jack said, with a quick slashing motion.

"What if the Lucian Alliance decides that we are too much of an annoyance to allow to continue to function in their territory?" Teal'c asked.

"The galaxy's a big place, Muscles," Vala said, and Jack couldn't help a small smile at the nickname. "As long as we don't go _looking_ for fights, we'll be fine." She tipped her chair back slightly. "The Lucian Alliance is held together by little more than fear and greed. A few one-on-one conflicts will likely go unreported because the captains wouldn't want to appear weak to other members of the Alliance. We just have to make sure that we don't cause _too_ much of a stir."

"We can send the diplomatic folks to feel out the deals we're making, and encourage the rumor that we're hard to intimidate," Jack said. "Carter, how're the ships coming?"

"Not including the _Hope_, we've got four ships ready to put back in the air," she said. "Two of them are tel'tak, and the other two are al'kesh, or roughly that size. Depending on the task, we might want the cargo ships to travel together, since they're pretty small and not as well-armed as the others. We'll have the other three ships ready to fly in the next few days. And now that we're working, we can go out and buy others, if you want."

"No, I think this'll be good for now. Davidson and his bridge crew can take one of the larger ships," Jack said, counting ships on his fingers. "Reynolds and SG-3 can have the other—with Williams and SG-17. Teal'c, you can have the next large ship that's finished; find yourself a crew in the meantime." Teal'c inclined his head, and Jack could tell he was smiling slightly.

"Hadden and SG-12 can take the two cargo ships," Carter suggested. "They're pretty much two-man vessels."

"Sounds good," Jack said. "Davis can take the diplomatic folks and work the markets, with Vala advising. We're going to be looking for both jobs and any word of what's happening back on Earth. Carter, you'll stay here and coordinate repairs on the remaining grounded ships, and any major repairs on the others. Put one of your tech people with the ships in the air. Once all the ships are functioning, I want some way we can get transmissions from Earth without them being able to track us.

"Daniel, you take the rest of the scientists and teams and work on making this place more livable," Jack said, smirking when Daniel grimaced at him. "I don't mean lace curtains for the windows. We can grow a little of our own food, mostly protein sources like chickens, if we have people taking care of them. Plus, we need to make all the structures look less like they're built from chunks of metal, at least on the outside. Steel's not typical for most of the settlements we're bumping into, and it would look suspicious from the sky." Daniel nodded, though he still didn't look pleased. "At the next meeting we can find out if people want to build more houses, so folks don't have to be squeezing four to a 10-by-10 box."

"We'll run out of space if each person is living in their own house," Daniel said quickly, and Jack knew exactly what he was really thinking. He would have loved to be able to actually _live_ with Daniel, finally, but he wasn't sure it was feasible.

"We should at least be able to break things down so people are living in pairs or threes, though, once we have a few ships in the air," Jack said, gratified when Daniel smiled. "We can have some rotating barracks for the ship crews that are on the ground, and spread the grounded folks out a bit more. Alright, anything else?"

"We need a name," Mitchell said. Jack raised his eyebrows. "We can't just keep calling ourselves SGC refugees, definitely not out there," he added, waving a hand at the ceiling.

"Do you have any ideas?" Jack asked, and Mitchell shook his head, a little sheepish. "Well, we can put that on the agenda for the next full meeting. See what everybody thinks. Anything else?" Everyone shook their heads. "Fine. Go. Do."

"We've got quite a little settlement here," Daniel said once everyone else had left. "Almost completely democratic government, and a socialist economic system. How ever _does_ the red-blooded American in you stand it?" he teased.

Jack reached over and ruffled his hair, laughing when Daniel frowned and pushed his hand away. "Needs must," he said, more seriously. "I can have an anti-Communist identity crisis later." He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I hope to hell it's not obvious that I have no idea what I'm doing," he said softly.

"I can barely tell," Daniel said, resting a hand on Jack's shoulder. After a minute, he squeezed and let go. "Come on, dinner shift is going to be on soon, we should get out of their way." Jack let Daniel pull him to his feet and lead him out into the late-afternoon sunlight. The planet was beautiful; if not for the constant reminders of their slightly-less-than-dire situation, Jack could almost imagine he was on vacation.

*

"Alright, is everyone here?" Jack called, looking around, and a couple of people chuckled. True, there weren't _that_ many of them, but some days Jack thought he'd forget his own name if Daniel didn't constantly remind him of it while he was complaining about something. "I guess, let's get this thing started." This was the second full-group meeting they'd had since they'd arrived on the planet, and the first had been subdued, in part a memorial for Hank Landry. By now—a couple of weeks in—people were at least starting to smile again. "Sam, you go first."

Carter stood, smiling slightly at everyone. "The last ship will be ready for her new crew tomorrow. This means we'll have four mid-sized ships and four cargo ships in the air. We'll be rotating crews on the cargo ships, there'll be some kind of sign-up sheet in the next few days."

"While we wait for the next job, we're going to be working on expanding the settlement some," Daniel said next. "There will be separate housing for the ship crews when they're not out there," he said, gesturing to the ceiling, "so we'll be able to spread out a bit so that we only have to put two or three people in each building."

"What if we don't want to split our team?" someone called, and Daniel's eyes widened. He glanced at Jack, but he gave an infinitesimal shrug, one only Daniel would have noticed.

"Uh, well…I mean, if you still want to stick to four-person buildings we can expand them some, so they're not so cramped. We…we can go building by building for the ones that need expansions while we build the new ones." That seemed to be met with agreement, so Daniel went on. "We'll also be starting to work on becoming a little more self-sufficient for fresh food and things. Everyone who isn't assigned to a ship will have a task. We'll be, uh…putting up sign-up lists and stuff tomorrow. If there's anything you think we've forgotten, let us know. We're going to try to make this whole thing a little more comfortable, at least," he said, and there were a few murmurs, Jack thought, of approval.

"With any luck, things should settle down now, at least for a while," Jack said. "The only real problem we foresee is the Lucian Alliance." There were more murmurs; that was a name people were familiar with. "We're hoping our reputation for not being intimidated by them will bring in some good customers, but that means we might have to worry about the Alliance testing our resolve. The folks working on the ships assure me that even the cargo ships will be more than able to hold their own." People were nodding, and there was a small cheer from somewhere in the back. Jack smiled. He glanced at Mitchell.

"We're going to need a name," he said. "Something we can call ourselves in the markets and settlements offworld. We don't want to be connected to Earth or the SGC, just in case someone's feeding information back to Earth."

"And what about Earth?" a voice called from the back. It was Colonel Battelle, CO of one of the Marine units. "It's nice that we're out here playing house, but what about them?"

"What about them?" Jack said, holding out a hand to stop Daniel from jumping in. "We're no good to them if we don't have a base of operations to work from. We can't do a thing until we have more information."

"Sir, we're the SGC, one of the American military's elite forces," Battelle said. He stood, the sound of his chair surprisingly loud in the suddenly silent room. "We take the fight to the enemy so our families stay safe. We don't run and hide while they cover for us. Not without a damned good reason, General, sir. The longer we wait, the more out-of-date we are with the situation back home. Anything could be happening—"

"We're all aware of that, Colonel," Jack said, cutting him off. He wasn't surprised by this outburst; Battelle was one of the ones who'd left a wife and children behind. "But as we discussed at the first meeting, we have _no idea_ what's going on back on Earth. We don't even know who the enemy is, Marine. Who do _you_ think we should be fighting?" There was silence. "One of the tasks of _all_ personnel assigned to a ship, even on rotation, is to keep an ear out for _any_ word from Earth, no matter how vague. The tech people will be working on some way for us to listen in on transmissions from Earth undetected, but that might take some time.

"But we have not forgotten our responsibilities," Jack said firmly, "not to the comrades we left behind, our families, or the rest of the planet. This is a tactical withdrawal so we can build up our resources, not a retreat. Is that understood?" The silence was practically echoing. "I think that's enough for now. We'll set up another meeting tomorrow to cover everything else. Dismissed."

Jack waited until he was alone in the room before he dropped his head into his hands.


	6. Chapter 6

"So help me God, Daniel, if you say that tastes like chicken…" Jack began, but Daniel laughed.

"It _is_ chicken," Daniel said, "well, plus some teeth." They were still sending out hunting parties, and the most recent one had found some birds that looked a lot like chickens. A lot more so than the domesticated fowl they had bartered for, which were bright pink. The pink eggs tasted the same, though.

"Hallo, boys," Vala said, plunking down next to Daniel with her bowl and cup. Like many aspects of the camp, the dishes were slowly becoming a mix of the original military-issue stuff they'd started with and things people had made in their spare time. Daniel thought the trend made the place a little homier—and if they ever _did_ get home, he had the foundation for a paper about the evolution of modern social groups outlined in the back of his head. "How's the food?"

"Tastes like chicken," Daniel said, not even flinching when Jack kicked him under the table. "How's the packing going?"

Vala dipped a slice of bread into her stew. "Just finished. Thought I'd reward myself with dinner."

"I'd gotten used to sharing my space," Daniel said. "What with Teal'c and Cam with their crews, and you moving in with the diplomatic folks, our little house is going to be so lonely."

"Quieter, certainly," Jack said, and Daniel was gratified that he yelped when Daniel kicked him. "She's going to be across the yard, Daniel, not across the galaxy."

"This week," Daniel said. "Does anyone know what Sam's planning on doing? Is she moving in with the other scientists?"

"The civilians seem to have set up their own little commune," Sam said from behind Daniel, and he almost jumped. She rounded the end of the long table and sat down next to Jack. "I'm not sure I'd fit in that well. I was just going to stay put. If that's alright," she added carefully.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Jack said quickly, but Daniel could see the slightest bit of tension around his eyes. He'd been looking forward to having Jack to himself, too. "The original-original SG-1, back together again."

"Sounds good," Sam said. She took a bite of her stew. "This really does taste like chicken."

*

Daniel barely stifled his laugh when he walked into his hut and was greeted with the sight of Jack attempting to sew something. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Jack untangled his fingers and tossed the whole thing on the floor. "I did say that everyone was responsible for stitching their own mattress…bag…things," he said. "Mine isn't going so well."

Daniel shook his head and picked up the pile of fabric and thread, sitting down on the corner of Jack's cot. He untangled the mess and started to stitch along the seam. The whole thing was a piece of fabric that was folded in half, stitched together on the other three sides, and filled with dried grass. They were roughly equivalent to Japanese futons.

"I didn't know you knew how to sew," Jack said.

"Nothing complicated," Daniel said. "But when you only have a limited number of clothes, you learn how to mend any tears yourself."

"You know everything, don't you?" Jack said, leaning his head on Daniel's shoulder.

"You know I'm faking it half the time." He fell silent, focusing on the project in his hands and the weight of Jack's chin on his shoulder.

"So, enjoying having some privacy?" Jack asked, and Daniel smiled.

"I don't think I've been alone with you since we got here," he said, turning his head slightly for a kiss, sweet and slow. They certainly hadn't done _this_ in a while.

"One of the drawbacks of being in charge," Jack said. He took the mattress bag out of Daniel's hands and dropped it on the floor again. "Someone always wants my attention." He kissed Daniel again, a soft, welcome-home kind of kiss.

"Well, now I want your attention," Daniel said, digging his fingers into Jack's hair. He was wearing it a little longer than usual, and Daniel liked it.

"You've got it," Jack said against his mouth. They tugged and twisted until Jack was leaning against the wall with Daniel straddling his lap. With Jack's arms around his waist, Daniel felt more at home than he had since they'd left Earth. "You've always got it, really."

"Flirt," Daniel said, tugging Jack's head back and nibbling on his neck. "How long do you have until you have to be somewhere?"

"Dinner's in an hour," Jack said, sliding his hands up the back of Daniel's shirt. "And Carter usually has to be dragged away from her lab for meals. We should be safe until then."

Daniel attacked the buttons on Jack's jacket. "I plan to take advantage of it." He got back to the serious business of kissing Jack until neither of them had enough breath to continue.

With a little bit of contorting, Daniel soon had Jack stripped to the waist and was able to get his mouth up against Jack's skin, nibbling along his collarbone. He was half-naked, too, and it felt wonderful to have Jack's hands against his skin.

"Daniel," Jack whispered into Daniel's hair.

"Mm?"

"Want you so much," Jack said, slipping his hands down the back of Daniel's pants, smirking when Daniel gasped. "Please."

"Need lube or something," Daniel hissed. "It's been too long to even consider doing it without."

"Should have something in my pack." Jack shifted one hand to start working on Daniel's fly. Daniel leaned over and rummaged in Jack's pack, coming back up a minute later with a tube in hand. "There you go."

"Sneaky bastard," Daniel said, kissing him. Dropping the lube on the bed, he sat back just long enough to strip off the rest of his clothes before climbing back onto Jack's lap. When Jack tried to move, Daniel put a hand on his chest to push him back. "We're doing this my way."

Jack groaned softly, and Daniel reached between them to unfasten Jack's fly. He tapped Jack's hip, and the man lifted up just enough for Daniel to push his pants and boxers down over his ass. He twisted the top off the lube with one hand and squeezed some on Jack's fingers. Jack brought his fingers up to rub Daniel's asshole and made a kind of choked sob.

Now it was Daniel's turn to moan, muffling the sound in Jack's hair. Jack prepped him expertly, but his hand might have been shaking, Daniel couldn't quite tell. Soon enough he gripped Jack's shoulders tightly to stop him. "Do it now," he gasped.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. He was breathless, too. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," Daniel said firmly. "But if we don't do this now, I'm going to come."

"Isn't that the point?" Jack said, with that wicked eyebrow waggle, but he shifted to position himself beneath Daniel. "Ready?"

Daniel went to brace his hands on the wall behind Jack's head and then changed his mind; the last thing they needed was to take down the wall. Instead, he gripped Jack's shoulders and nodded. He felt the head of Jack's cock nudge into place and pressed down, hissing at the stretch. Jack looked concerned, but Daniel shook his head. "'S fine. Don't stop."

Jack grunted and Daniel continued to push down, until finally his ass was pressed against Jack's thighs. He sighed contentedly and rested his head on Jack's shoulder. "You alright?" Jack asked, sliding his hands over Daniel's back, looking for tension.

"I'm wonderful," Daniel said, shifting to kiss Jack's neck. "Just give me a second." Jack turned his head and they kissed, hot and dirty and with lots of tongue.

Suddenly, Daniel heard a noise from the doorway and sat up quickly. He turned…and was greeted with the sight of Sam Carter standing in the doorway, mouth open in shock.

"Sam…" Daniel started to say, but she turned and fled.

"Well, crap," Jack said, leaning his forehead against Daniel's shoulder. Daniel couldn't agree more.


	7. Chapter 7

By the time dinner shift was over and Sam still hadn't returned to the hut, Daniel began to worry that more than embarrassment, or even simple offense, was keeping her away. He could remember when a young Captain Carter, barely a colleague, not yet the friend that years of shared experience had made her, might have chosen avoidance instead of tackling this sort of personal minefield. But he'd thought they'd gotten past that. He'd thought that after more than ten years as teammates and friends, whatever the issue, they could at least talk to each other.

But as early evening turned into full night, Daniel decided that trusting in Sam's eventual forgiveness should not keep him from apologizing for putting her in an awkward position in the first place. And it was, he admitted to himself, only cowardice that made him delay facing that music as long as he had. Outside the mess hall, he told Jack not to wait up, then went to find Sam.

As he'd expected, she was in her lab, tinkering with what he thought was part of the transmitter the scientists were trying to rig up so they could eavesdrop on Earth. He didn't think, however, that the particular computer chip appreciated how hard Sam was banging on it. "Go away," she said, not even turning to look at him. Daniel wasn't surprised that she knew it was him. "I don't want to hear whatever excuses you have."

"No excuses," said Daniel. "I came to apologize."

"You—apologize?" Sam asked, looking up. Her eyes, which had widened in confusion, narrowed again. Clearly, she'd been expecting something entirely different and wasn't quite ready to change tracks. At least she seemed willing to listen, though.

"Apologize," Daniel confirmed. "Even college sophomores know it's gauche to let themselves be caught by a roommate in flagrante," he said, disappointed when his phrasing didn't even coax a small smile. He continued determinedly. "And then there's the whole professional behavior angle. As embarrassing as it was for us, you must have felt—"

"No," Sam flatly interrupted. "No way. Don't you dare stand there and tell me how I feel, Daniel. You have no idea." Her stare was hard, accusatory. But she was the one to break it, looking down at her hands after a few moments. She seemed to huddle into herself, and it made Daniel's heart hurt to see it. "You really don't know me at all. But apparently that's mutual."

"Sam—" What could he say? "We wanted to tell you—"

"But you didn't," she said, focusing on her computer parts again. "Were you worried I'd be shocked? Let me tell you, _nothing_ you could have said would have been as shocking as seeing it in living color. Nothing." One of the parts crackled ominously, and Sam swept the pieces onto the floor. "Or were you worried I'd be jealous? No, let me guess, the oh-so-considerate General wanted to _protect_ me from having his secrets on my conscience. Well, you know, fuck you. Fuck you both." Her voice cracked under the weight of her anger, and she fell silent.

"Sam, please…I never meant for this to happen this way."

"But it did. You made this bed, Daniel. You and…him. And it looks to me like you've had no problem lying in it before now. So just…go. Go back to him and leave me alone. For what it's worth, I'll keep your secret. Whatever you might think of me, _I_ won't be the one to jeopardize all that we've worked for," she said pointedly.

Daniel winced. If anything, this conversation was going from bad to worse. At any rate, he didn't think Sam was in the mood, now, to listen to anything he might say, even if he knew _what_ to say. Clearly, she needed more time to cool down. He'd be better off if he did as she asked and left her, before he made things worse. But some part of himself just couldn't let it go. "It was a mistake," he repeated. "And I really am sorry. Jack, too. I'll go now, but Sam…" _Don't let this come between us_, he wanted to say.

"I'll pick up my kit when you're out," she said, coolly now, turning back toward her workbench again. "I don't want to be in the position of invading your privacy again. You can be alone together. What you do is none of my business, and I don't want to know. Goodnight, Daniel." She picked up a soldering iron and began to work with great attention; Daniel was not even certain she registered his "goodnight" in return.

*

Cam walked onto the bridge of the _Hope_ and sat down in the captain's chair with a contented sigh. Another successful mission, even if they were only delivering from Point A to Point B. Every mission that avoided complications was a success in Cam's book.

"Let the traffic controller know that we're ready to leave orbit," Cam said. This market planet had no 'gate, but it was more advanced than most, and actually had a whole list of procedures for ships.

Balinsky nodded and radioed the message, listening for a response. "We're cleared for departure," he said. "But they've asked that we clear the system before engaging the hyperdrive."

"No problem," Cam said. "Bosworth, do your thing." He heard Bosworth chuckle and felt the slightest tug as the ship started to move.

"Thirty seconds to system edge," Bosworth said.

Just as Bosworth put his hand over the hyperdrive controls, the proximity alarm went off. "Talk to me," Cam said.

"Al'kesh," Dixon said. "Weapons are active."

"Lucian Alliance?" Cam asked.

"One way to find out," Balinsky said. "They're hailing us."

"Audio only," Cam said, sitting forward in his chair.

The radio crackled. "Unidentified ship," the voice said. "Stop and prepare to be boarded."

"Under what authority?" Cam said.

"This ship has been identified as one involved in illegal action against the Lucian Alliance."

Cam frowned and muted the audio. "Can we get out of here before they fire?"

"Probably not," Dixon said. "The engines warming up will give us away. We can use the fire-first trick again, but they're probably packing more heat then we are."

"Go for it," Cam said.

"Firing…now." Unlike last time, the other ship already had its shields up.

"Any effect?" Cam said, but Dixon shook his head. "Bosworth, get us out of here." The other ship fired, and Cam was thrown forward in his seat.

"Shield strength took a hit, but no damage yet," Gates said.

"Let's not do that again," Cam said. "Bosworth?"

"Opening hyperspace window now."

The ship shifted forward, but just as they started to enter the window, there was another impact against the rear of the ship. Alarms were blaring, and Cam was thrown completely out of his chair. He caught himself on the edge of the navigation console. "Gates?"

"It's affected the engines," he said. "We've made it into hyperspace, but we aren't going to get far."

"Take us as far as we can go," Cam said. "I don't want them following us."

"I can give you another five minutes, then I'll be pushing it harder than I feel comfortable with," Gates said.

"You're the expert," Cam said. He sat back down on his chair. "Balinsky, as soon as we drop out of hyperdrive, I need to send a message to the base. Not too much, in case it's intercepted, but we need to let them know we're still out here."

"Wells, I'm going to need a hand," Gates said, and they hurried off the bridge. The rest of the team worked in silence. They dropped out of hyperspace exactly when Gates had planned. There weren't any planets on the screen.

"Bosworth, where are we?" Cam asked.

The way Bosworth's shoulders hunched wasn't reassuring. "I'm…not entirely sure."

"Well, great."

*

"So, I have good news and bad news," Carter said after they'd sat down. Jack noticed that she was still sitting at the other end of the table, even though it was just the two of them. She was perfectly professional, but there was an air of detachment to her that was bleeding into her interactions with everyone, not just with him and Daniel. Jack wished there were something he could do to get through to her, but he knew trying to talk to her would only make things worse.

"Whatever order makes the most sense," Jack said. She didn't even crack a smile.

"We've managed to build a device to hook up to one of Earth's satellites to transmit news reports to our location. Once it's hooked up we can see if there's some way we can have it browsing the internet, too," Carter said. "Unfortunately, we don't know how to get it onto a satellite without the chance of being spotted, and we still haven't figured out how to mask the signal it would send."

"You said there was good news?" Jack said, and then realized that she'd likely take it as an insult. And the way her lips suddenly became pinched meant that was exactly what she had done. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

"It's fine," she said, but they both knew it wasn't. "The good news is that we've decided on another project to work on while we give this one a rest. We're going to try to get back in contact with Atlantis by building a device similar to the one you used to contact the Asgard."

"Do you think Atlantis'll have more information?"

"They might," Sam said. "Or they might have ideas about how we can finish the device we've made. And once we know what we're up against, they could be able to help."

"How do we know they won't turn around and tell Taylor—or whoever's in charge—where we are?" Jack said. He could tell Carter was taking each comment personally, but there wasn't anything he could say to change her mind.

"It's a risk we might have to take," Carter said flatly. "When push comes to shove, Woolsey will do the right thing. He's always been a stickler for the rules, sure, but Pegasus has a way of teaching people what's really important." The look on her face said that she wasn't just thinking of Woolsey. "And anyway, Atlantis was already being cut off before we left. That should work in our favor."

Jack linked his fingers together and rested his chin in his raised hands. "Have we heard from Mitchell yet?"

"Not yet," Carter said, frowning. "Paul went to the market planet, and we know they got there and made their delivery, but they got into some trouble with a Lucian Alliance ship when they left."

"Put together a search plan to see if we can find them," Jack said. "And get working on the Atlantis plan."

Carter nodded curtly and stood. Jack pursed his lips, and as she passed he placed a hand on her arm. "Yes?" she said sharply.

"When I poke holes in your plans, I'm just trying to make them better," Jack said. Carter would know this, having commanded her own team, research facility, and base in the last few years, but maybe hearing it aloud would jar her bad mood. "I _want_ you to succeed."

Her answering nod was even shorter than the first, though how that was possible Jack didn't know. He took his hand away and let her go.


	8. Chapter 8

Daniel hefted another metal panel from the stack and carried it over to the building frame he and a few of the Marines were working on. Once completed, the building would house the computer systems for controlling the 'gate. Unburying the 'gate would be their next task.

Sam and her team had rigged up a system to accept IDCs, and had a plan for an iris once the 'gate was unburied. At the last meeting, Sam had said there was enough information in the _Odyssey_'s computers to at least begin experimenting with building a device to generate enough power for contacting Atlantis.

There was a piercing wolf whistle and Daniel turned, unsurprised to see Vala standing behind him with a smug grin on her face. "Shirtless and sweaty is a good look on you, Daniel, darling," she said.

Daniel snorted. "I'm sure you have something better to do." He held the sheet in place so Lieutenant Conway could attach it to the frame. The building supplies Jack and Reynolds had seeded were like life-sized children's toys: metal bars that could be snapped together into sturdy square and triangular frames with sheets of metal for the walls. There were extra beams, so they had replaced the panels that would have been roofing and floors with local materials, which had given them extra materials to build more buildings.

"Undoubtedly," Vala said, sitting down on a nearby rock. "But this is much more fun. You're such an easy target." Conway attached the last fastener and Daniel went to get another panel. "Why are you fighting with Sam?"

Daniel dropped the panel on his foot and cursed loudly. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, once the sharp pain in his foot had subsided to a dull throb.

"You're not a good liar," Vala said. "And I would know." She sighed. "She's taking it out on everyone, but I've decided that you and General Jack are the cause. Why is she mad at you?"

"I am not talking about this here," Daniel muttered, picking up the panel again and carrying it over to lean it against the half-constructed wall.

Vala stood and grabbed Daniel's arm. "Then we'll talk somewhere else," she said, tugging slightly.

Daniel tossed Conway a look, and the man shrugged. They all knew Vala was a force of nature when she wanted to be. "Fine," Daniel said, pulling his arm out of Vala's grip and heading off for the treeline. "This way."

Once they were out of earshot, Vala tugged on his arm again. "Alright, spill."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Have you talked to her? Or Jack?" he added softly.

Vala shook her head. "Would I be talking to you if I knew what was going on?" Daniel frowned, and she laughed. "I don't think your General likes me, and Sam isn't talking to anyone. That's not like her."

"No, it's not," Daniel said, frowning. Leaning back against a tree, he took off his glasses and closed his eyes. He focused on the feel of the bark against his back for a moment to ground himself, and then opened his eyes, turning to face her again. "Sam…found out about a, uh, a secret Jack and I were keeping." Vala made a _go on_ gesture, and Daniel resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at her. "Jack and I are…together."

"How is that news?" Vala said. "We're all together, every day. We can't get out from under each other, we're so together. Though that could be fun." She waggled an eyebrow suggestively.

Daniel shook his head. "No, I mean we're in a relationship. Have been for a long time now. We didn't tell anyone because it's illegal in the American military, for two men to be together."

Vala's expression gave nothing away. "Oh," she said. "Should I apologize for all the flirting, then?"

"No," Daniel said. "It didn't really bother me." Not quite true, but that wasn't a big deal. "And it made a good distraction. I—Sam is angry at us for lying, and she feels used, I think, since Jack flirted with her mostly to throw people off our scent. If you felt like that, you'd tell me, right?" he added quickly.

"Sure," Vala said, turning away. "Yeah. Thanks for telling me. You can get back to work now."

Daniel watched her go, feeling like there was _something_ else he should have said, but not sure what.

For a split second, it was almost as if he was seeing another woman superimposed over Vala—one with dark, shoulder-length hair—the woman from his vision. Then Vala turned, and as she came into profile she was just Vala again. Daniel rubbed his eyes and put his glasses back on. He knew he shouldn't dismiss what he'd seen, but he didn't know what it meant, or who to tell.

*

"I've found a planet," Bosworth said. "And it seems to have a 'gate."

"That's…helpful," Cam said, sitting up from his slouch in the captain's chair. It was only the two of them on bridge duty, and Cam had been relaxing since there wasn't much else for him to do. "Will that help us figure out where we are?"

"Possibly," Bosworth said. "This would be easier if there was a 'gate where we're trying to transmit to."

"We know the address, and we know they were planning on unburying the 'gate," Cam said. "It doesn't cost us anything to try to contact them."

"And if it doesn't work, we can try one of the market planets the ground teams might be on," Bosworth added.

"Good idea," Cam said. "Get us into geosynchronous orbit above wherever the 'gate is, and then round up the crew."

"Permission to go with you to the surface, sir?"

"Granted." Cam stood and stretched, wincing when his spine crackled. "I'm going to start packing gear for four. Send Balinsky and Wells to help once we've arrived."

Cam heard Bosworth's "Aye, sir," as he left the bridge, heading down the corridor to the small storage room where they kept offworld gear. Hopefully, the General had had the 'gate unburied during the time they'd been missing. The ship was repaired, but the galaxy was a huge place, especially when you were lost.

Cam was just finishing the third pack when Bosworth, Balinsky, and Wells entered the room. "What do we know about the planet?" he asked.

"Seems to be uninhabited, at least around the 'gate," Balinsky said, coming over and taking his pack. Cam started

"We can't get a visual from here, but the naquada concentration indicates that there's almost certainly a DHD," Wells said.

"Good to know," Cam said.

"Colonel Dixon is ready to ring us down," Bosworth said.

Cam closed his pack and swung it up onto his shoulders. He looked around at his team and then keyed the radio on his shoulder. "We're ready." Any response Dixon made was lost in transport, and seconds later Cam was standing on the surface of an alien planet. He closed his eyes for just a moment and took a deep breath; this never got old. "Bosworth, Balinsky, check on the 'gate, then start dialing. Wells, perimeter—with me."

Cam walked the perimeter of the clearing once while Bosworth and Balinsky checked on the DHD. "I've got the point of origin," Balinsky said once Cam was standing next to them again. "We're good to go."

"Dial it up," Cam said, turning to face the 'gate. And if he was crossing his fingers where he had his hand tucked into this pocket, well, no one else needed to know.

Balinsky clicked in the address, and the 'gate started to spin. If this didn't work, Cam was quickly running out of ideas. The clunk of the chevrons engaging reverberated in his skull. The sixth engaged, and he held his breath.

The whoosh of the event horizon swirling into life was probably one of the most beautiful sounds Cam had ever heard. And from the sudden relaxation in his team's shoulders, he knew he wasn't the only one who had been holding his breath. Thinking quickly, Cam keyed his radio and said, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

"Oh God, Cam, is that you?" Sam's voice crackled on the radio, but Cam had changed his mind: _that_ was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard.

"In the flesh," Cam said, grinning. "Well, sort of. Our most recent IDC was 347-Tango-23. My serial number is—"

"That's fine," Sam said. "What happened?"

"Lucian Alliance attacked us as we were leaving the market planet," Cam said. "Gates was able to fix the engines, but we're not sure where we are. Though, I'm man enough to ask for directions."

Sam's laugh seemed a little forced, but Cam didn't care. "Keep transmitting for another couple of minutes and I'll be able to tell you where you are. I was afraid we'd lost you," she added softly.

"Can't get rid of me that easily," Cam said. "Bosworth, update Dixon on our status. We're getting out of here."

*

Sam was sitting in the main computer lab, idly flipping through the files in the _Odyssey_'s transplanted memory banks. Before the destruction of Area 51, the _Odyssey_—and the _Prometheus_ before it—had used as a backup for Area 51's main R&amp;D computers. She was hoping that _something_ in the archive would inspire a solution to the problems they were having with the Earth satellite transmitter. And it was as good a distraction as any from…other things she didn't want to think about.

There was a knock on the doorframe, and Sam looked up to see Vala standing in the doorway. "Can I come in?" Sam shrugged and Vala clearly took that as an invitation, closing the door behind her and pulling up a chair to sit next to Sam. "So, something's bothering you."

"Oh, not you, too," Sam said, hitting the left arrow a little more emphatically than would have been strictly necessary. "If you've come to get me to talk about my feelings, you can just leave."

"Why would I want to do that?" Vala asked. "I've come to tell you to get over yourself." Sam looked at her incredulously, but Vala only gave that little smirk of hers. "You've got every right to be mad at them, you just need to stop taking it out on everyone else."

"I am not—" Sam began, but Vala cut her off.

"I'm sure you're working on that thing to hook up a device to an Earth satellite, but why are you working on it alone? And don't tell me you prefer it that way," she added, before Sam could answer. "I know you like working with others, sharing ideas. Have you considered that, in being cold to the boys, you're freezing everyone else out, too?"

"I hadn't thought of it that way," Sam said after a moment, realizing was true. She'd buried herself in work—eating in her lab, even sleeping there sometimes—she didn't remember the last time she spoke to someone outside of the occasional staff meeting. But…. "Are you telling me I'm wrong to be angry?"

"No, I'm not." That wasn't at all the response Sam was expecting. "Yes, they lied to you, they lied to all of us," Vala said, and Sam wondered how much of Vala's flirting with Daniel was real, rather than just an attempt to make him uncomfortable. "But you shouldn't be taking it out on everyone else. I'm not saying you should forget what happened, or even forgive them, but from what I've seen, you guys make a really good team, and it's hard to be a team when you're not talking to each other."

"Honestly, I don't care what they have to say," Sam said. Vala was frowning, but she wasn't the one who'd put her life on hold in the hope that….

Sam looked down at the screen and was surprised to see a Tok'ra report about a Tollan device. A device that sent transmissions using a beam of light. "Vala, as much as I appreciate your concern, I think I've just had a breakthrough." Vala looked upset. "I'll think about it some more, I promise," Sam said. She dove back into reading the report, and didn't notice when Vala left the lab.


	9. Chapter 9

"Okay, here's the plan," Major Hadden said as the tel'tak _Quantico_ approached the place where it would drop out of hyperspace and approach Earth. "We can't cloak until we come out of hyperspace, but we shouldn't appear as more than a blip on someone's radar. Carter, you'll suit up, and we'll ring you out to the satellite so you can hook up your device."

"You're going to have to be ready to go as soon as I'm done," Sam said. "The hook-up might cause some kind of visible spike in power readings. We don't want someone to spot me or the ship's power signature if they look this way." Hadden nodded.

"Coming out of hyperspace in three minutes," Lieutenant McKenzie warned.

"I'll go get suited up," Sam said, McKenzie on her heels.

She went into the cargo bay and McKenzie started to help her into her space suit, one from the collection that had been taken from the _Odyssey_. The device she would be installing was sitting on the floor, next to her helmet. It was about the size of a shoebox, with a semicircle curve along three sides, like a cylinder cut in half. To prevent a power drain from the satellite, the device would provide its own power from the solar panels that covered the curved portions. Once installed, it would send a burst of information to a computer at their base, once a day, using a beam of light as a carrier. After some debate, they'd chosen half a dozen television news stations to collect information from, in the hope that _something_ useful would pop up. They hadn't figured out how to get to more sensitive information, so they were hoping that following the news would be enough.

There was a slight jerk as they came out of hyperspace, and McKenzie put the helmet over Sam's head, locking it in place.

"Audio's working?" Hadden said in her ear, and she tossed him a thumbs up. "We're in position…now. I'll send you down when you're ready."

McKenzie handed her the device and stepped out of the way so that Sam was alone on the ring platform. "Do it." There was the momentary disorientation of ring transport and then she was out in space, the satellite a few feet in front of her. She reached out, grabbed one of the rungs of the ladder along the satellite's side, and pulled herself in. She pried the appropriate panel open and went to work attaching the device, using tools from a kit attached to her belt. Earth hovered in her peripheral vision, but she didn't let herself stop and look. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

"Carter, we might have a problem," Hadden said when she was almost done.

"Yeah?"

"I've detected a ship within scan range," McKenzie said. "It's the _General Hammond_."

"I'm almost done." Sam patched the last few wires she'd clipped after connecting her device. "How long until they spot me?"

"With the rotation of the satellite, there's no way to tell," Hadden said. "Just finish quickly."

Sam connected the last wire and the lights along the end of the device lit up. "Alright, get me out of here," she said, pushing off from the satellite with her feet. Seconds later she was falling to her knees inside the cargo bay and pulling off her helmet despite the suit's heavy gloves. "Go!"

She sat down just as they jumped into hyperspace. She started the laborious process of stripping out of the suit. "Did they detect us?" she called.

"Unknown," McKenzie said. "They're not following us, but there's no way to know if they can detect what you did to the satellite."

"Well, we'll find out if it doesn't transmit tomorrow morning," Sam pointed out, and Hadden nodded. "There's nothing more we can do until then. Let's just get back to base."


	10. Chapter 10

It was strange to Vala to be manning a storefront advertising their moving service, rather than sneaking around behind the stalls, but she had to admit that she was getting the hang of it. And there was something surprisingly gratifying about the looks of relief when people realized that yes, these cargo haulers ignored Lucian Alliance embargos. It reminded her of that first rush of accomplishment when she was healing the villagers on Qetesh's mining planet, before it had all gone so badly.

"Vala!" a familiar voice called, and she looked up to see someone she hadn't seen in some time…and had hoped not to see again.

"Jacek," she said warily. "How many years without seeing you, and then you stop by every other for a chat?"

"Actually, I wasn't looking for you," Jacek said. "Just a pleasant surprise. I'd ask for a hug, but I'd be worried you'd stab me in the back."

"No, that would be your job, wouldn't it?" Vala said, unconvinced. She'd stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. But it was good that she was the only one at the stall at that moment. Who knew what would happen if her father recognized someone from the SGC.

"So, you're in freight hauling now," Jacek said, looking around with poorly disguised interest. "I thought you were working with those Tau'ri people."

Only years of studying people—to scam them—let her see the way that Jacek was intent on her answer. Was he planning to sell the information to someone? She had to assume so. "I found them to be too…limiting," she said, being careful to sound casual. "Alliances like that come and go."

"It was profitable for a time?" Jacek asked.

"Exactly."

"Well, I know of people who would be interested in any information about the Tau'ri, specifically those at the SGC," Jacek said. "Very interested."

"Unlike some people, I don't sell out allies, even former ones," Vala said pointedly, and Jacek at least pretended to look abashed. "Now, if you don't mind, I do have a business to run here."

"If you change your mind, I'm in the neighborhood," Jacek said, but Vala's glare sent him scuttling.

He had just rounded the corner out of sight when Major Kovachek returned to the stand, lunch in hand. "Your timing is impeccable," Vala said, taking one of the meat pies from him. "A few seconds earlier and we would have been in a lot of trouble."

*

Jack walked into the 'gate control enclosure, and the excitement was palpable. Carter was manning the main computer with Bill Lee hovering next to her, monitoring the gizmo they'd rigged up. The rest of the scientists were simultaneously trying to linger and not get in the way. Daniel was already there, casting furtive glances at Carter, who was ignoring him. The _Abydos_ had landed two hours before, so Teal'c stood at Daniel's side; Mitchell and the _Hope_ were still off-world. Vala was leaning on the back of Sam's chair, but scooted out of the way when she spotted Jack.

"We ready to do this thing?" Jack asked, coming in to stand next to Carter.

"Yes," Carter said. "Well, either it'll work, or we'll blow out the 'gate controls," she added, and Jack couldn't tell whether she was joking. "When you're ready."

Jack looked around. They survived so far, but merely surviving wasn't enough; Jack knew he wasn't the only one who was itching to get back to doing _something_. He wanted this to work, even if they didn't learn anything useful. Just getting in contact would raise people's spirits…he hoped. "Do it."

Carter nodded and started typing. She pressed the Enter key and sat back, staring intensely at the 'gate. There was a moment of silence, and then the ring began to spin. "First chevron…locked."

Jack was a little surprised to see that they'd set up a nearly identical program to autodial the 'gate. They had a DHD, but he guessed that the old interface from the SGC was comforting in its familiarity. "Second chevron, locked," Carter said, and Jack could hear the clunk of the 'gate locking even through the window facing the 'gate.

"Third chevron, locked." The Marines from Teal'c's crew were scattered in a semi-circle around the earthwork ramp in front of the 'gate. Sure, they were dialing out, not waiting for someone to dial in, but it never hurt to be cautious.

"Fourth chevron, locked." It was the first time they'd dialed out since they'd sent Daniel, Carter, and Vala through to her stash not long after they'd first arrived. With the slightly longer day, it had been exactly ninety-three days, Earth-time. That scared him.

"Fifth chevron, locked." Carter was resolutely staring at the computer screen, and she jumped when Jack placed a hand on the back of her chair. He was starting to worry that he would never be able to fix the situation with his former second-in-command, and that thought upset him. They'd been friends once, he'd thought, and he missed that camaraderie.

"Sixth chevron, locked." The 'gate was smoking slightly, like it used to on Earth before they'd added those stabilizer things. Jack hoped this wasn't a bad sign.

"Seventh chevron, locked." Jack held his breath. He was pretty sure he wasn't the only one.

"Eighth chevron…locked," Carter said, and the wormhole blossomed into life. Jack clapped her on the shoulder.

"Great job, Carter, everyone," he said. "Send the transmission through, see what happens."

Carter sat forward in her chair and clicked a few keys. "I'm sending the most recent of our old IDCs," she said. "Hopefully, that will get someone's attention."

After a minute or two, the speakers crackled into life. "Please identify yourselves," the voice said.

"It's Sheppard," Carter said.

"Turn on the video," Jack said. John Sheppard's face appeared on the second computer screen.

"General O'Neill," Sheppard said. "It's good to see your face."

"Likewise," Jack said, smiling. The earlier nervous energy that had filled the room was now much more positive, and he thought he heard someone let out a small cheer.

McKay, who had slid into the frame, looked like he was going to start talking, but Sheppard held out a hand to stop him. "So, can you tell me what the hell has been going on?" he asked.

Jack was about to answer, but Dr. Barnes, one of the linguists, skidded into the room. "General O'Neill, we've got some information from the satellite you should see," she said. She handed him one of the electronic tablets, which had a picture on it. It looked like it had been taken at a press conference. Taylor was waving to a crowd, his wife beside him. And behind her…"It's Adria, sir," Barnes said. "Somehow, she's on Earth."


End file.
